Turn substitute days into exciting learning and career discovery

Why it matters

• Minnesota's Climate Action Framework sets the state's goals: 50% lower climate pollution by 2030, net-zero by 2050, and 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040. Every industry can be part of that clean economy.¹
• The same framework calls for a carbon-neutral economy with a “resilient and equitable clean economy workforce.” Schools are where that workforce starts.
• The state's own target is to add 50,000 clean economy jobs by 2035. That work is already one in eight Minnesota jobs, more than 380,000 in 2024, which would make it the second-largest sector in the state.²³
• Many fast-growing clean economy roles do not require a four-year degree, and in many industries, especially in Greater Minnesota, more than half of the projected 10-year growth from 2022 to 2032 has already occurred.³
• Minnesota employers feel the same gap: 59% of businesses reported difficulty finding workers in spring 2025.⁶
• Career pathways are shifting faster than curricula, which is why this program delivers content across all subjects.
• Substitute shortages are persistent: nearly 45% of Minnesota districts reported difficulty finding short-term substitute teachers in the 2025 state survey, and many filled the gaps by pulling teachers off prep time or combining classes.⁴
• Classroom teachers are absent roughly six percent of a school year, and substitutes provide most of that replacement instruction. We see those days as an opportunity, not lost time.⁵

Clean Economy Educators is a structural innovation rather than another curriculum. It uses the substitute systems schools already run, so there are no schedule changes, no added work for classroom teachers, and no after-school requirement. Access stays universal without expensive busing.